Articles

by Craig J. Santucci @NYGiantsRush

Drafting Brothers: Drafting Bosa

Brothers in the NFL are rare.   Brothers in the NFL that become Pro Bowl star players are even rarer.

In 2011 the Giants dominate offensive line was getting a bit older and recovering a bit slower from the daily grind and weekly battles.   McKenzie (32), Snee (29) and Diehl (31) were still very good players but time was not on their side.   Center Shaun O’Hara was released in July 2011 and replaced with David Baas (30).

2011 Draft:

In 2011 The Giants drafted cornerback Prince Amukamara with the 19th pick instead of moving up to draft Mike Pouncey, a center from Florida.  Mike Pouncey is a 3x Pro Bowler, playing for the Dolphins for 6 seasons.   In 2018 he signed with the LA Chargers for $15MM/$10MM guaranteed.  Pouncey’s twin brother (Maurkice) was drafted the year before (2010) and is now a 6x pro bowler for the Steelers.

Prince was not resigned after his rookie contract and is playing for his third NFL franchise (Bears).  The Giants have had 7 center’s in that time frame: Baas, Cordle, Walton, Richburg, Jones, Pio, and Pulley.

2017 Draft:

In 2017 The New York Giants drafted Evan Engram, Tight End from Ole Miss.   Big Blue was in need of a bruising Tight End that could block, catch and get yards after the catch.  Engram’s game is speed and the ability to get up field.   While he struggled in the pass blocking game he had a nice rookie campaign despite showing the propensity to drop the easy catch.

Seven picks later the Giants missed out on JJ Watt’s younger brother TJ Watt.

Engram 2017: 64 rec | 115 targets | 722 yards | 6 TD’s.

Watt 2017:  1 INT | 7 Passes Defended | 1 Forced Fumble | 7 sacks | 52 tackles | 10 for a loss | 13 QB hits.

Watt 2018:  10 sacks | 4 FF | 51 Tackles | 17 QB Hits | 2x AFC POTW  | 1 Blocked FG

Engram 2018:  has been frequently sidelined with an injury: 23 rec | 257 yards | 2 TD’s

2019 Draft:

In 2019 Defensive End, Nick Bosa will be leaving Ohio State to enter the NFL draft.  Nick is the younger brother of Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa (Chargers), the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year.   Joey and Nick’s father, John Bosa was a 1st round pick of the Dolphins in 1987 and played three years.

While the Giants Winning streak has been pleasant, and they are not in the position to grab the 1st five picks, I’m not sure the Giants can continue to pass on the little brother of another NFL super star.  At 6’4 263 Nick Bosa would bring an edge that this Giants defense lacks.    An abdominal injury in September derailed his 2018 college campaign for Ohio State; however, he is fully recovered and  has been training for the NFL combine for two months.

A legit pass rush make everyone’s job that much easier.  The Giants need very strategic moves to climb the draft board to pick Nick Bosa who is a legit top 5 pick in the 1st round. Sometimes…you gotta do, what you gotta do.